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Post by jonnymosco on Jul 12, 2013 14:25:45 GMT
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leoroberts
C.O.G.
Posts: 24,666
My main instrument is: probably needing new strings
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Post by leoroberts on Jul 12, 2013 14:55:51 GMT
I guess it depends on what is meant by 'worth', jonnymosco. 'It would cost more to repair than the value of the guitar' doesn't mean that, as you say, a labour of love for a trusted friend and companion is a waste of time and money.
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Post by matt on Jul 12, 2013 15:17:23 GMT
I'm not a repairman or vintage guitar specialist, but I think it certainly would be worth repairing. Is it from the 60s? I've played one guitar like that, and despite the high action, it was a very nice instrument.
The repair cost depends of cource quite a lot on whether it also needs neck reset & refretting, but looking at the bridge, the neck angle might be fine. I'd be willing to invest the price of a new bulk Martin for repairing this kind of guitar to good playing-condition...
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Post by scripsit on Jul 12, 2013 15:29:17 GMT
Nylon strings? I believe they would take silk and steel at least. No truss rods, so the neck condition would be a factor, but the cracks in the top don't look significant.
Kym
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Post by Mike Floorstand on Jul 12, 2013 22:17:14 GMT
I'd never really thought about it but I'd always assumed the NY suffix stood for New York...is it nylon then? Bit of googling suggests they were designed for fingerpicking in the 60s folk boom and could take either steel or nylon.
I'd get some quotes from repairmen/luthiers - I'm sure you could find some who'd love to work on this. What's the cost of the cheapest solid spruce/mahogany parlour guitar? If the repair cost is in the same ballpark I'd get it repaired.
Cheers
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Post by keithambridge on Jul 12, 2013 22:37:47 GMT
Who ever told him it isn't worth repairing will probably offer £50 scrap value! Just because it has nylon strings now doesn't mean that's what it's meant to have. I think it has value and to be honest it doesn't look in bad condition. I'd love to take it on as a renovation but I fear distance forbids it Edit. I recon as a good playable guitar it may be worth around £800. (this is a guess)! Edit II Value around $2000. It is well worth repairing!
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Post by jonnymosco on Jul 13, 2013 13:04:21 GMT
Thanks for the replies.
Any of the luthiers have any ideas what the repairs to the top would entail? Would the top have to be removed to repair it?
Also, if it were strung up in its present condition with some La Bella lights (used for delicate/fragile guitars) for example, would it do more damage?
Cheers
Jonny
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davewhite
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Luthier
Aemulor et ambitiosior
Posts: 3,546
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Post by davewhite on Jul 13, 2013 13:17:02 GMT
Jonny, I'm not a repairer but I suspect that an experienced repairer wouldn't have to take off the top or back to fix those cracks. It's a glue (plus maybe splint) and cleat job with "ingenious" clamps or neoprene magnets. Go peruse Frank Ford's luthier pages on Frets.com for examples. More important is going to be if any internal braces are loose or broken and what was it that caused the cracks in the first place - low humidity or wrong sort of strings. There's only one way to find out what happens with strings on If you haven't got some silk and steels you could try some very light gauge strings tuned down a tone or half tone from normal and see what happens.
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Post by jonnymosco on Jul 13, 2013 14:02:56 GMT
Thanks Dave - I'll pass that info on.
Jonny
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